ILLUSTRATIVE PHOTO - wikimedia.org
MADRID, Sept. 20 - Gema Canales, a 16-year-old Spanish girl with cerebral palsy who is unable to speak, has achieved a major milestone by finishing high school thanks to a device that tracks her eye movements and allows her to communicate by writing with her eyes.
Canales, who suffers from spastic tetraparesis, one of the most severe forms of CP, uses a system similar to that used by the late British physicist Stephen Hawking. But instead of faces, she writes with her eyes.
"Eye tracking (eye movement tracking) is a technology that allows you to track eye movements and communicate with devices such as computers or tablets. Simply put, the eyes become the mouse," said in an interview with Xinhua Eduardo Jauregui, CEO and co-founder of Irisbond, the Spanish company that developed the multi-platform device used by Gemma Canales.
Irisbond's technology runs on Windows and IpadOS operating systems, uses artificial intelligence and can gaze control any screen or touch device, making it compatible with any machine, from an ATM to a self-driving car in the future, according to Jauregui.
"Gema has been an example and role model for us from a very young age. Not only does she stand out as the first girl in Spain to use augmentative and alternative communication through her eyes, but she has also fought tirelessly for this technology to be normalised and integrated into the mainstream classroom," Jauregui said.
These technologies can be used by people with a variety of diagnoses, such as CP, or those who have had a stroke or woke up from a coma to find that their speech abilities are impaired.
According to data from the Spanish Federation of Associations to Help People with Cerebral Palsy, there are 120,000 people living with this type of disorder in Spain, 80 % of whom need significant support in their daily activities.
Jauregui said that the Spanish public health system fully funds technological aids for students with special communication needs, however "support resources in the classroom are still inadequate".
"What Gema has achieved in her town's public school shows what success can be achieved when you have the right tools and the support you need, and she is becoming an example for others who are trying to do the same," He said.
After completing her compulsory high school education, Canales said she would dedicate herself to the foundation that bears her name, working to help children who don't have the opportunities she did, whether due to lack of awareness, financial hardship or lack of support.
The Gema Canales Foundation also highlighted the need for more support for students with similar disabilities beyond compulsory schooling.
"When these kids reach high school graduation, they run into a big problem. Since it is not compulsory schooling, they are not matched with materials, teachers or classrooms, which prevents them from accessing higher or university education," said the foundation.
Xinhua/ gnews - RoZ_07
English 
Czech